Stats and numbers are the easiest way to create a narrative for sports teams and athletes. And from year to year, these numbers change. But one thing that never changes is winning mentality and experience. The Miami Heat traded for Dwyane Wade at the deadline to add the experience and culture they needed to try to take this team to the next level. In what could be Wade's final postseason, he will need to find a way to channel Prime DWade to win the championship. The Miami Heat just locked up the 6 seed with an overtime win over the Toronto Raptors in the final game of the season. This sets up Dwyane Wade to play in his 13th postseason in his 15 year career. This also marks head coach Erik Spoelstra's 9th postseason appearance in 10 seasons. If we can think back to last season when the Heat didn't have Wade, they only missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker to the Chicago Bulls who had Wade. This just shows that Spoelstra is one of the top coaches in the NBA, and as long as they have him, the Heat have a chance at a title. They will play the inexperienced 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the first round starting on April 14th. Heading into Saturday, Joel Embiid's health status is still up in the air. Although the 76ers are coming into the playoffs hot with a 16 game winning streak, none of that matters in a 7 game series. The Miami Heat have a significant advantage in their playoff experience and winning culture. The 76ers are new to the game and the Heat will expose them for what they are, a very young team who overachieved this season. The Miami Heat have the 4th best scoring defense in the NBA, led by their big men in Hassan Whiteside and rookie Bam Adebayo. With the uncertainty around Embiid's health, the Heat will dominate the boards for as long as he is out. Embiid will come back for Game 4 with his team down 3-0 in the series and will bring his team back for a Game 7. But in a Game 7 scenario, Wade will see an increase in minutes and will do exactly what he did to the 76ers in their third matchup of the season (see video below), come in the clutch for his team that will lead to a big victory. Spoelstra will out-coach Brett Brown and will show who the real Coach of the Year is. Their second round matchup will come against the hobbled Boston Celtics. The Miami Heat will be too deep to lose to another well coached team. The backcourt of the Heat will dominate this series, and will bring an end to the Celtics quickly. All-Star point guard Goran Dragic will have no trouble with Terry Rozier and will able to get to the paint and lead his team in free throw attempts over a 5 game series, just like he did all season. The Celtics have not been an efficient shooting team all season, ranking 21st in field goal percentage, and worse without Kyrie Irving. Josh Richardson led the NBA this season in go-ahead three point shots in the fourth quarter, and his clutch play will allow him to play with confidence against anyone who attempts to guard him. In a series clinching Game 5, Richardson will score 30 points in the final fourth quarter of the series and will solidify his place in Heat history. The Toronto Raptors will fall to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in an embarrassingly bad sweep, which will set up the first ever playoffs series between Wade and his buddy. The Cavaliers have posted the 5th worst scoring defense in the NBA and are the worst overall defense among Eastern Conference playoff teams. James Johnson will be due for a few good games, and will take his defensive play to another level when he has to matchup against Lebron. Johnson will limit James to only 30 points per game, and won't allow him to get the assists he needs to get his teammates involved. Spoelstra and Wade will know all of Lebron's moves and will come up with an overall gameplan to dominate the offensive game, exposing the Cavaliers defense. Wade will hit a pump-fake, fadeaway 19 foot jumper, leaning into Lebron, which will give him the And-1 and will hit a go-ahead free throw with 2 seconds left. Then will block Lebron's shot on the other end, as he did twice earlier in the season, to win the series. He will finally come out and say that Lebron only won championships because of him. The hot play of the Heat will set them up with an NBA Finals rematch between them and the San Antonio Spurs. At this point, the media will still be asking Will Kawhi come back for this series? And guess what, he won't. It will be a series full of amazing play calls and defensive strategies, and will pit the two best coaches in the league against each other once again. Wayne Ellington broke the Miami Heat record for most three pointers made in a season with 227. That is an incredible amount of threes, and he will be just as incredible in this series. Pau Gasol will be guarding his younger self in Kelly Olynyk, and he will not be able to slow him down. Justice Winslow and Tyler Johnson will prove their doubters wrong will come up with great defensive plays every game over the course of a 7 game series. The series winning shot will look exactly like Game 6 when Ray Allen hit that clutch 3. Except this time it will be a missed shot by Wade, rebounded by Whiteside, then kicked out to Richardson for the championship clinching three in Tony Parker's face. The NBA will award Dwyane Wade with the Finals MVP even though he only averaged 10 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. Wade will ride off into the sunset and will announce his retirement and will enter the acting game. Miami is the East Coast Hollywood. Flash is too clutch...
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Champion (noun); definition: a winner of first prize or place in a competition, one who shows marked superiority. As a 76ers fan, I am currently throwing shade. Don’t worry if you didn’t understand the reference, we’re not here to discuss the Rookie of the Year race. Ben Simmons is obviously the choice, as he has been historically great, only being bested by Oscar Robertson. But the rookie play from the Utah Jazz has been great as well, also historically great. Which gives them a chance to run the table and make history of their own. The Utah Jazz have just secured the 5 seed in the first round of the playoffs and have set themselves up for a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was one of the tougher draws they could have asked for, having to go against Russel Westbrook who averaged a triple double for a second straight season, Paul George who led the league in steals per game and was a high volume three point shooter, and Carmelo Anthony who still can’t find his hoodie. But the ball dominance of those three will make it easy for the Jazz to use their top ranked defense to force a lot of bad shots. There are only two teams in the NBA that allow less than 100 points per game, the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz. You would think that a team who has a guy that averages more than 10 assists per game would share the ball well as a whole, but the Thunder have struggled with that. They are the second worst team in the NBA in team assists, which is not a recipe for success against a tough defense. Rudy Robert will dominate this series as the anchor of the defense and will limit the amount of opportunities for the Thunder to get easy baskets. The league leader in blocks per game will send Russel Westbrook's game series winning shot attempt in Game 7 to the moon, and his silhouette of his block will be his logo for his PayLess shoes. Advancing to the second round will set them up with the best team in basketball in the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are known for their high volume three point shooting, but the Jazz actually shoot a higher percentage from deep with 37% in comparison to 36%. It may seem like a small difference, but every inch counts in a matchup with a tough opponent. Donovan Mitchell broke the rookie record for most three pointers made in a debut season with 186, where he passed Damian Lillard and Steph Curry, just a couple of All-NBA guards. Chris Paul will have his hands full with the playmaking ability of Mitchell and will not be able to slow him down from deep. Mitchell will break the record for most three pointers made in a single postseason series and will begin to get comparisons to all-time greats. James Harden will have a chance to win the series in the final seconds of Game 7 but will miss three free throws and his final air ball will become a meme for all things trash. After getting through their toughest test, the Jazz will advance to their first Western Conference Finals since they had John Stockton and Karl Malone. Luckily for them, Steph Curry could not overcome his injury, which set themselves up for a series with the San Antonio Spurs. This will be the most boring series in NBA history, which will pit the two best scoring defenses against each other. Unless you love low scoring, grind it out basketball, then this series is perfect for you. Dante Exum has gained his health back and has been great off the bench, which will give the Jazz the spark they need to win the series. He has shot 50% from the floor over the last month, and will only get better against defenders like Bryn Forbes and Brandon Paul. Joe Ingles will shoot the lights out and will be the only other player besides Mitchell to average double digit scoring figures in the series, as his three point shooting will be key in the clutch. The Jazz will have to go another 7 games, but will win in a tightly contested, low scoring contest that will feature a final 5 minute scoring drought from each team. Fun, right? The NBA Finals, something the state of Utah has been longing to win since their move from New Orleans in 1979. If they wish to make their dream come true, they will have to face another team attempting to win their first ever championship in the Toronto Raptors. With the Jazz somehow avoiding Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, and Lebron James on their path to the top, they have no choice but to win the championship. The choice to play aggressive will make head coach Quin Snyder look like a genius. The Jazz are 4th in the league in steals, and the Raptors are 4th in the league in fouls committed, which will be advantageous for a team will their foot on the gas pedal all series. The Raptors are a team who likes to share the ball and win by committee, but the Jazz are 1st in the league in assists allowed per game, and their ability to force turnovers will only make it harder to score on them outside of isolation plays. Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio will be the unsung heroes of the series as they will silence their doubters with championship level play. Rudy Robert will block anything and everything that comes into the paint. His gutsy Game 7 performance will show the world that he should be mentioned when talking about the best current players in the world. He will win the Finals MVP will get drunk at the celebration parade and will wear a shirt with Draymond Green's face on it that will say "We won? Yup!" on the front and "Toronto sucks? Yup!" on the back. And the pettiness level in the NBA will reach an all time high. All rookie jokes aside, this guy is GREAT, let's not take that for granted... Washington D.C. has been the land of disappointment, for sports that is. I'm sure you guys all have your opinions on the political side, but we can discuss that another time. Maybe when the 4 years is up, then we can look back on the President's term as a whole and decide how we feel. But for now, lets just hope that he either turns it around and does a good job, or continues to make himself look like a fool so that we will forever be reminded of how not to run a country. Hopefully, an NBA Finals championship can help the city take its mind off of all the craziness going on, even if it's just for a few months. The Washington Wizards are a curious bunch. They are led by their head coach Scottie Brooks who seems to continue to have problems with having too much talent. Brooks had his one good Finals year run, and besides that has constantly found himself underachieving with his rosters. This season has been somewhat of a reversal affect. Brooks had his team actually looking better, and playing a better brand of basketball without their best player in John Wall. Look, all the individual stats are awesome. Wall is a one of a kind talent who can score at will, which is tough to find in a point guard. But his talents have yet to translate to team success in the playoffs. I'll probably get killed for saying such blaspheme, but I honestly think that their better play without Wall is the way to go heading into the future. But, they gotta roll with what they got right now. It's insane of me to think that any team could be better without John Wall, so I'm going to continue with the mindset that he will make them better and that his play will translate to postseason success. Especially if they get a favorable draw in the first round against the wounded Boston Celtics, a rematch of last year's 7 game battle. The roster for the Boston Celtics is very different than last season, but they still have Brad Stevens at the helm, which would give any team a significant advantage. But he can only do so much as a coach, the players have to go out there and play. The Wizards with health on their side, will have a favorable match up at pretty much every position on the court. Tomas Satoransky came in and covered for Wall in his absence, and in his 70 games on the court he put up an incredible 47% from three point land. Terry Rozier and Shane Larkin will have their hands full with those two guards. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart will be able to bring their experience from last season, but there will be too much pressure on them to carry the scoring load for the Celtics. The shooters of the Wizards will come to play as they will build off of their 4th best three point shooting percentage in the NBA. As their scoring will go through the roof, the Wizards will take the series in 6 games, and hopefully they will wear all black prior to the elimination game again. Getting to the second round would be considered a success for Wizard's teams in the past, but it'll be just the beginning of something special. They will book themselves a date with the red hot Philadelphia 76ers. Although the 76ers have many significant statistical advantages, their youth and inexperience will be the driving force that allows the Wizards an opportunity to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Joel Embiid will do exactly what everyone has been afraid of, and get injured in the first game of the series. Marcin Gortat having to go against guys like Ersan Ilyasova and Richaun Holmes will be a breeze. Wall and Gortat will pick and roll them to death which will lead them to being the two leading scorers in the series. Scottie Brooks will come up with the perfect gameplay to limit Ben Simmons playmaking ability by constantly forcing him to get the ball out of his hands early in the shot clock. The 76ers lead the league in turnovers committed, while the Wizards are 7th in the NBA in turnovers forced. This recipe for disaster will be the doom for the 76ers, as they will go down in 6 games. The Toronto Raptors finally came through and defeated Lebron James, which now gives a new Eastern Conference team to reach the Finals. The Wizards will be playing with house money, as everyone in the basketball world will be picking against them. The last thing this group needed was doubters, which will only fuel their fire. Sharing the basketball will be key in this series for the Wizards as the Raptors are 24th in the NBA in steals. The Wizards are 5th in the NBA in team assists, which will lead to them shooting a lot of wide open three point shots. High volume shooter Kelly Oubre will catch fire over 7 games, and will average 4 three point shots made per game. The Raptors commit the 5th most fouls in the NBA, which will lead the Wizards to want to play fast and aggressive. Toronto will blow a 3-0 lead, and none of the players will ever be able to go on Twitter ever again because of cyber-bullying. With an opportunity to win their second championship in franchise history, they will have to do so against the Houston Rockets. The big men of the Rockets in Nene and Clint Capela don't affect many shots in the lane, as they are 23rd in the NBA in blocks per game. Otto Porter, Markieff Morris, and Mike Scott will dominate the short-range game as they will not be scared to shoot over the Rockets big men. This matchup is perfect for John Wall who is a great individual player, as he will face off against Chris Paul. Highlights of Steph Curry's handles will be a distant memory when Wall gets a hold of Paul's ankles on the biggest stage. Bradley Beal won't be able to guard James Harden, and vice versa. These two guys will both average 30+ points over the series and will give us one of the greatest individual offensive performances between two Finals opponents. Scottie Brooks will finally figure out that running isolations 40 times a game through his two best players isn't the way to win basketball games, and will allow his players to share the wealth. Bradley Beal will hit a contested jumper in Harden's face in Game 7, and the city of Houston will burn cop cars. John Wall will be hurt by the fact that he didn't win Finals MVP and he will demand a trade to the New York Knicks, where individual basketball is celebrated with 35 win seasons. The President will call John Wall a crybaby and a loser for wanting to leave D.C., and Twitter will say they wish it was him leaving instead. I couldn't find any cool highlights of any of the Wizards players, so here's some highlights of an All-Star reserve... The city of New Orleans is an interesting location for 400,000 people to live, seeing as how most of the city is below sea level. With a 4 foot increase in the sea level since Hurricane Katrina, it is getting a little dicey keeping all those people protected by just a couple of levees. Yet, I am no politician. I don’t know where we could move all of those people, but I can see clearly that continuing to allow people to live below sea level so close to an ocean that is susceptible to hurricanes is a little . . . alarming. But it says something about the people who inhabit this city, they are fighters. Even after getting knocked down over a decade ago, they have come back stronger than ever. And they have a basketball team that represents that fight. The New Orleans Pelicans made a huge move in last season’s deadline by trading for Demarcus Cousins. Things were looking great. Boogie was averaging 25.2 points per game and 13 rebounds per game before he suffered a huge blow when he tore his Achilles’ tendon on January 26th. This was supposed to be their death blow. The Pelicans were 27-21 and were sitting in 8th place. There was no way that Anthony Davis could carry this team to the playoffs without his Twin Tower. Yet here they are, sitting in the 5th seed with three games to go. Davis has shown that he can not only lead this team, but that he can be the best player on the court on any given night. Just like their city, they have fought even harder after being knocked down and doubted. With the Western Conference playoff race as tight as it is, they can either be knocked out of playoff contention or have home court advantage in round one depending on how things shake out over these final days of the NBA season. But in this case, let’s say the Pelicans stay where they are at and stay at the 5 seed. This will match them up with the Utah Jazz in the first round. The efficiency of the Pelicans could win them this series, as a team they are 2nd in the NBA in field goal percentage whereas the Jazz are 14th. Guys like NBA Champion Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday will have way too much playoff experience against a young guy like Donovan Mitchell. They will kill him in the pick and roll and will play tight defense on him throughout the series. A dominant Anthony Davis will not make this series pretty as they will win in 5 games. The second round will be their toughest test, matching up with the Houston Rockets. The Pelicans will not have any answer for James Harden, but they will win every other matchup on the court. The Rockets are a high volume three point shooting team and the Pelicans allow the second most three point attempts per game, which is not a recipe for success. But per 100 possessions, the Pelicans are 9th in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage, so there is hope. The Pelicans will force the Rockets to step up and take deep two point shots, and Nikola Mirotic and Anthony Davis will Dominate the boards and limit the Rockets second chance points. The deep point guard play will wear down Chris Paul as they can throw their two guys I previously mentioned as well as another NBA Champion in Ian Clark. The Rockets will prove that they were who we thought they were all season, choke artists. The Pelicans will pull off the upset in 7 games, and Anthony Davis will average an unbelievable 50 points and 20 rebounds over the course of the series. The Golden State Warriors could not overcome their injuries and got knocked out by the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Pelicans are thankful. As the Pelicans will continue to share the ball well as they have all season, their rank of 2nd in the NBA in team assists will shine throughout this series. The Blazers are 23rd in the NBA in steals, and their inability to force turnovers will allow for the Pelicans to display incredible ball movement that will tire the Blazers out. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will exert so much energy on the defensive end that they will not be able to score like they usually do. E’Twaun Moore will carry his season long 50% shooting into this series and will not miss a beat. Newly added piece Jordan Crawford, will turn heads and have people going “When the hell did they get Jordan Crawford?” He’s been there, we just didn’t pay attention. The Pelicans will do right by their city and will advance in 6 games over the Blazers. The Boston Celtics somehow willed their way to the NBA Finals on the back of their coach Brad Stevens. But their incredible run will fall short, as Stevens will remember what it feels like to lose in the championship. The lack of stars that can deliver in the biggest moments will make it tough on the Celtics. Head coach Alvin Gentry will push all the right buttons and every lineup he throws out there will work. Rajon Rondo will get an increase in minutes as he will show once again what he is capable of when he is on the biggest stage. The Celtics will dribble the ball way too much and their 20th rank in assists will make it difficult for them to score. They also allow the 10th most rebounds in the NBA, which is not good when you’re facing off against Anthony Davis. As he did when he reached the championship at the college level, Davis will dominate the boards and will block every shot that comes near him. The low scoring affairs will be bad for television ratings, but will be indicative of the city of New Orleans. As we continue to go through our day, they continue to rebuild their city. Anthony Davis will bring a championship back to New Orleans the way Drew Brees did, and his path to getting a levee named after him will begin. Some Brow highlights just cuz... Out of all the time zones, I would say that Mountain Time is probably the worst for sports viewing. If I had to rank them I would say it goes Pacific Standard, Eastern Standard, Central, and then Mountain. Pacific, you pretty much never have to stay up past 11 pm to finish watching a sporting event, and early games are perfect for brunch. Eastern would come second because pretty much every sporting event is tailored around your spoiled asses. Central is fine I guess because when you get off of work from your 9-5 games are just starting. And Mountain is just kind of, like, there. Thats probably why your basketball teams get no love. The Denver Nuggets have quietly been one of the best team basketball type of teams this season. They don't have any All-Stars, unless you count an older Paul Millsap. None of their players are in the top 25 in jersey sales in the NBA. They are the second youngest team among playoff contenders, yet they have played so well as a young team and are currently tied of the 8 seed. They are on the outside looking in due to tiebreakers, but they have a chance to play their way into the NBA Playoffs. With a huge win at home over the Minnesota Timberwolves on national television, the Nuggets brought themselves one win closer to their first playoff appearance since the 2012 season. To go even deeper, they haven't won a playoff series since the 2008 season. But one decade later, they look to put on for the Mountain Timers and reach their first NBA Finals in their 50th season. The Nuggets play the Wolves in their final game of the season, which will most likely seal the fate for both of those teams. Achieving the 8 seed will set the up with a date with the best team in the league in the Houston Rockets. The Pepsi Center is home to one of the best home-court advantages in the league. When you factor in the elevation, the Mountain Time, and the electric atmosphere, it is a tough place for any team to get a win. The Nuggets are 30-10 this season at home, which is the 4th best in the league. Their Offensive Rebound Percentage is 2nd best in the NBA, which creates more opportunities for themselves for a team that likes to shoot three pointers 36% of the time. They match up well against a deep team like the Rockets, and if they can get all of their wins at home, they will give themselves a chance in a Game 7. Gary Harris has shot 40% from three point land this season, and his hot shooting will give the Nuggets a high scoring victory over the Rockets and send shockwaves through the league. The second round matchup might be the most uninteresting series in NBA history. A duel with the Utah Jazz, a matchup between two Mountain Time opponents, will probably only be watched by those team's fans. No disrespect, these teams are good, they are just not that interesting, if that makes sense. Yet here they are in round two, so who cares if the world is entertained. This series will be quick and somewhat easy. The Jazz are a defensive minded squad and the Nuggets play with pace and three point shooting. The veteran presence of Devin Harris, Wilson Chandler, and Paul Millsap will dominate the youth of the Jazz. Rudy Gobert will be virtually invisible on the offensive end and Ricky Rubio will get outplayed by Jamal Murray. The Nuggets will win the series in front of their home fans in Game 6 and reach the Western Conference Finals. With the Portland Trail Blazers knocking off the injured Golden State Warriors, a matchup of division opponents will decide who represents the West in the NBA Finals. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will not disappoint, they will carry their team throughout the entire series but the Nuggets will work to shut everyone else down. Nikola Jokic will show the world his versatility and will distribute the basketball to his shooters over a 7 game series. Being the leading scorer on the season, he will go shot for shot with the Blazers shooters and will average 40 points per game. The Nuggets are 5th in the NBA in shots from 3-10 feet, and they will use this to their advantage by being aggressive and living in the paint. Mason Plumlee will get revenge on his former team and hit a buzzer beating hook shot in Game 7 to send the Nuggets to their first NBA Finals appearance in team history. The Toronto Raptors finally find a way to end the reign of Lebron James, and will bring Drake with them to the NBA Finals. This is the perfect matchup for a hot shooting team like the Nuggets. Will Barton and Trey Lyles will create spacing on the floor and will shoot the lights out. Nikola Jokic will scoop up all of his shooters misses and will create enough second chance opportunities to allow his team to dominate the rebounds and the clock. The Nuggets will go undefeated at home throughout the entire postseason, and will defeat the Raptors in Game 7 to send the entire state of Colorado into one big smokefest. One small step for the Nuggets, one big step for Mountain Time. Keep it lit Denver... The Staples Center has been home for the playoffs for the last six seasons. Yet only one of those seasons has been for the Lakers, and they got swept in the first round. If it wasn't for the Los Angeles Clippers having some of their greatest years as a franchise ever, The Staples Center would have been a very quiet place during the NBA Playoffs. With the Clippers trading away Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, you would think their playoff streak of 6 consecutive seasons would end. But with some dominant interior play and good coaching, the Clippers have found themselves with a chance to continue their streak. The Los Angeles Clippers are in the playoff race yet again. If you're about 10 years old living in Los Angeles, there is a pretty good possibility that you have chosen to become a Clippers fan. Hey kid, you do you, because your team has been in the playoffs more than half of your life. Whereas the other Los Angeles team has been fishing for talent in the lottery for 5 consecutive seasons. And if you happen to also be a Dodgers fan, well kid let me tell you that your sports watching life is going to be filled with a lot of disappointment. But not for this season at least, as there is still a way for the Clippers to find a way into the NBA Playoffs and shock the world by winning the NBA Finals. With 3 of their final 4 games left on their schedule coming against playoff opponents, they are essentially in a play yourself into the tournament situation. Peaking at the right time is key in runs like these, and after a huge win against the San Antonio Spurs, the confidence for the Clippers can only grow if they find a way to win out and lock up the 8 seed. The last time an 8 seed upset a 1 seed was when the Golden State Warriors defeated Dallas Mavericks who were 67-15 and had the MVP in Dirk Nowitzki. Now the Clippers would have to face off against a team very similar to that Mavericks team in the Houston Rockets who will probably end up with 65 wins and has the MVP in James Harden. So basically what I'm saying is that this has been done before. Deandre Jordan is second in the NBA in rebounds and rebounds per game, so having to match up against an untested guy like Clint Capela could be a significant advantage. Boban Marjonovic will destroy Nene and send him into retirement two games into the series. Wesley Johnson gets revenge with his own crossover that literally breaks both of James Harden's ankles on the first play of the series. And with Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and Ryan Anderson all somehow getting hurt, the Clippers sneak past the Rockets in an unbelievable upset. The Clippers will win the series in game 6 in front of their home crowd. As I said in a previous article, in this world where the Clippers find themselves winning their way to the top, the San Antonio Spurs have gotten abducted by aliens. Which has opened the door for them to play a very young team in the Utah Jazz. The moment proves far too big for Donovan Mitchell, who gets whooped in all phases of the game by Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams. Tobias Harris gets hot from three point land and makes 60 three pointers in a series that goes the full 7 games. The entire home crowd in Utah is stunned when Austin Rivers makes a game winning shot in the final seconds to send the Clippers to their first ever Conference Finals. Yes, the Los Angeles Clippers have been in existence since 1970 and they have never been to the Conference Finals, like ever ever. But that all changes in 2018. Luckily for everyone, Steph Curry couldn't overcome his injury which led to the Golden State Warriors losing to the New Orleans Pelicans. Boban and Deandre take turns guarding Anthony Davis for the full 48 minutes of every game. They wear Davis down to the point where he is only averaging 30 points and 10 rebounds over this 7 game series. Milos Teodosic just makes Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo look foolish as he averages 20 assists and 5 steals per game. The rebirth of Danilo Gallinari gives the Clippers more than enough firepower to defeat the Pelicans in the lowest scoring Game 7 in NBA history, when their 42-39 victory punches their ticket to their first ever NBA Finals trip. The Milwaukee Bucks played so horribly in the final few games that the NBA decided to give the Detroit Pistons their spot, and they somehow found a way into the NBA Finals. With the Staples Center hosting its first NBA Finals since the Lakers won in 2010, the city of Los Angeles trades in all of their Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram jerseys for Montrezl Harrell and Sam Decker jerseys. Austin Rivers scores 60 points per game and Deandre Jordan dunks all over his former teammate Blake Griffin multiple times and actually makes him cry on the court. With Austin Rivers winning the Finals MVP, he and his dad decide to both retire from the NBA and start their own league of 2-on-2 basketball where fathers and sons match up against each other. The city of Los Angeles pretends to be Clippers fans the entire summer and ESPN acts like they knew this was going to happen all along. They make a movie about the team and nobody goes to watch it because they forgot any of this even happened. Stay classy Los Angeles. Let's throw it back to when Deandre Jordan ended Brandon Knight's career... The NBA Playoffs are upon us and with just 10 days until the start of the postseason, there are still teams fighting to get into the tournament. Over the next few weeks I will be giving each team currently in the playoff race an opportunity to see how it will be possible for them to win the NBA Finals. I will be writing these in order of which teams I believe have absolutely no chance to the teams with the highest possibility of hoisting the trophy. Let's dive in. The Detroit Pistons, what a mess huh? On the contrary, a team playing with house money is always very dangerous. Not a single soul in the basketball world believes these guys have a chance, which should only fuel their fire. With 5 games left in their season, they not only need to win out, but they also need the Milwaukee Bucks to lose out. The Pistons face the Sixers and Raptors over this final stretch, and wins over those teams would give them extreme confidence heading into the playoffs most likely facing Toronto in the first round. A mid-season trade for Blake Griffin looked like a move that was going to propel the Pistons into the playoffs. But injuries and a lack of willingness to change from coach Stan Van Gundy has hindered their chances to get back into the playoffs. Andre Drummond leads the league in rebounding with 1198 rebounds and 16 per game. That doesn't even make sense, he is dominating his opponents on the boards night in and night out. And to have an athletic big like Blake Griffin to share the load down low has only eased the pressure off of Drummond. And with Reggie Jackson back and healthy, the Pistons have their three "guys" that they can lean heavily on. So lets talk hypotheticals. Let's say the Pistons get red hot and win their way into the playoffs with a first round matchup against a Raptors team who has struggled over the last month of the season. Andre Drummond will scoop up every rebound on both ends of the floor and give his team second chances at points while taking those chances away from the Raptors. Blake Griffin will eat up guys like Poetl and Siakam on his way to 35 points per game. Reggie Jackson will lock down Kyle Lowry on the defensive end, while dropping dimes to his hot three point shooters in Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway, and Stanley Johnson. The Raptors will once again choke their way out of the playoffs in a Game 7 loss at home on a buzzer beater by Blake Griffin that will set the city of Detroit on fire. They will find themselves in a second round matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the hottest teams in the league. Unfortunately, for the 76ers in this situation, they will be without Embiid who could not overcome his recent orbital injury that he suffered. Ben Simmons will be swayed to stay out of the lane with Detroit's big men forcing him to shoot jumpers all series. Guys like Covington, Belinelli, Saric and Redick will be forced to carry the scoring load and will not live up to their playoff expectations. Ish Smith will want revenge on the 76ers and will be the hero of this series off of the bench. The Pistons will win another grueling 7 game series that will send them to the Eastern Conference Finals. Luckily for them, the Boston Celtics found a way to knock Lebron out of the playoff race and has opened the door for a new Eastern Conference team to represent in the Finals for the first time in 8 years. In the first game of the series, Kyrie Irving injures his ailing knee and won't return for the series. Leaving undersized guys like Shane Larkin and Terry Rozier responsible for guarding Reggie Jackson, which won't end well for the Celtics. The Pistons remain hot and Blake Griffin continues to eat, dominating guys like Baynes and Theis in the post. Drummond will destroy Greg Monroe and will force the Celtics to depend on jump shots. In game 7 of the series, the Celtics go ice cold and the Pistons will make 20 three pointers on their way to the most improbable run to the NBA Finals. With Steph Curry never becoming fully healthy, James Harden and Chris Paul failing to do their jobs, Blazers choking, and the Spurs organization getting abducted by aliens, the Los Angeles Clippers find a way into the NBA Finals for a matchup against Blake Griffin. The most unbelievable will happen this year if all of those things happen. With the whole world freaking out about the aliens, the only people focused on winning are the Detroit Pistons in probably the last NBA Finals before the world ends. I'm guessing the aliens didn't bother to abduct either of these teams because they just didn't even know these teams existed. The Pistons have to go the full 7 games again to hoist their first NBA Finals trophy for the 4th time in their organization's history and Griffin gets the ultimate revenge against his former team for trading him away. Basically what I'm saying is Detroit, keep faith man. Anything is possible. Except for winning the title this year. That is in fact impossible. Unless all of those things I mentioned happen. In which case, I hope that you don't get abducted by aliens and get to witness your first championship in 14 years. Well maybe the aliens have a better viewing experience than television, maybe they abducted all those people and the Spurs for Space Jam 2 with the revamped roster for the Monstars. Actually yeah, being abducted sounds better than living in America in 2018. Anyway, good luck Detroit. You're gonna need it after that tough Michigan loss. . . Too soon? As long as the Pistons have Drummond, they have a punchers chance... literally It's Opening Day for the 2018 MLB season! Which means new beginnings, new challenges, and new contenders. Everything that happened last season is in the past, and it is a new opportunity for any team to become champions. An opportunity for the unheard of guy making a name for himself. A chance for potential Hall of Famers to cement their legacy. A possibility of another city breaking a championship drought. And another season to root against the San Francisco Giants. As I'm writing this, Giancarlo Stanton just hit his second homer as a New York Yankee. He is on pace to hit 324 dingers in the 2018 season, I seriously hope that happens. The Oakland A's are looking OK so far, that starting pitching is going to have a long season. The White Sox hit 5 homers in a span of two innings, maybe a sing of good things to come for Loyola-Chicago this weekend. And Ty Blach just threw out the first pitch against the Dodgers. It's all feeling pretty good in the world with baseball back.
I could write about my predictions for the season, what to watch for, teams of the future, my MVP candidates. There's an endless possibility of topics for the 2018 season. But as always, I am going to write about whatever the hell I want because it's my blog and I am the CEO, Editor, Writer, Producer, Composer, Sound Guy, and Janitor. I make the rules on what I write, and baseball is just a segway into what I really want to talk about, which is new beginnings. As some of you know about me, I have worked for a popular coffee chain for about 6 years. I recently took a break from that to try to pursue my career in sports. Working in sports is something that I had always dreamed of, and it is still my goal for my future. I love sports, particularly basketball, and I know that being a basketball writer, announcer, or whatever else I can do is what I ultimately want to do. I pressured myself so much to get into the sports industry that I took the first job I was offered. But that didn't work out so well. Five years ago, I set a goal for myself. I said that I wanted to have graduated college and to be working in sports. Fast forward five years, and I had accomplished what I said I would. but as I've said before, life is all about timing and perspective. Being able to go into a new workplace with all new people, I got some perspective on the industry. Although it was a small sample size in an environment that wasn't fully developed yet, I knew it wasn't going to work. I had to set my pride and goals aside and ask myself Am I really happy with what I am doing? Will this job create a better future for me? Are the sacrifices I'm making worth the end result? After just a few months in a position that was not a right fit for me, I quit. I hated it. I have never quit any job in my life, but I was totally unhappy and I knew I wasn't going to grow in my role with this position. So I called my former boss up and asked her if she could offer me a job, just to pay the bills, and of course she did because I'm like the Ben Simmons of this barista shit. I'm like the neighborhood drug dealer, giving all these peoples their caffeine fix multiple times a week. I'm like Tony Montana, giving people that extra boost they need just to get through the day. Sorry, sometimes I get cocky. But that's the thing. I'm extremely confident in my position right now and I know that what I do helps others. Even if it is just a simple cup of coffee, I am giving them an opportunity to create a new beginning everyday. Whatever happened before that cup of coffee doesn't matter to them anymore because they got their fix and they're ready to tackle the day head-on. Take pride in whatever it is that you do. Don't ever let the influence of others sway you to feel like what you're doing isn't what they would consider to be glorious. You are in control of your future and your own happiness, and if you are an accountant, be the best fucking accountant that ever lived. If you a used car salesman, then push some cars to the masses. If you like plumbing, then God bless you my dude because the world needs people like you to function. Treat everyday like it's Opening Day. If you aren't excited with what you're doing or the job you're at, it is not late to create your own new beginning. The capital of California has never really gotten as much love as some of the other cities in this beautiful state. You've got Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, and you could even say the Silicon Valley with all of it's recent success. Sacramento too often gets forgotten about when people think about what California has to offer. It is a beautiful city, with a loyal basketball fan base and a shiny new state-of-the-art stadium. Their fans may be a little bit too loyal considering what the franchise has given them during their time in Sacramento, but as a 76ers fan, I respect y'all dedication. I wrote about the Kings a while back. It was mostly about how sad the franchise had become, and how I had hoped that they were going to save their fans from a lifetime of terrible basketball by moving to Seattle. But instead, they got Golden1 Center, the premiere basketball experience in all of the NBA. So although the front office has still yet to find a way to give their fans a playoff caliber basketball team, they have given them a place to call their own for many years to come. Now I remember going to Arco Arena, or as you younger people may know it as Sleep Train Arena, or even Power Balance Pavilion (that didn't last long). Arco was definitely unique, it was true to the teams history because it had been their home for so long. But it became outdated, and they were at a point where they were either getting a new stadium or a new city to play in. Somehow, basketball legend and former Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson convinced the city and state to assist in public funding for Golden1 Center. At the time, I couldn't believe it. I was really sitting there thinking How could they approve a brand new stadium for a terrible NBA franchise that couldn't sell cheap seats in their old stadium? Yet, here they are, new stadium, new jerseys, no new fans. We are nearly 20 years removed from the best Kings basketball ever witnessed, and the team still has no direction. Sure they have some good young talent, but what will they do with it? Will they mismanage them the way they did with Isaiah Thomas? Will they ship their future away like they did with Demarcus Cousins? Will they continue to rebuild new cultures every year with new coaches? One question that doesn't have to be answered, is if they have one of the best fan experiences in the NBA. This place is unbelievable. The first time I went this season, I was in a suite. The food spread was immense, the view was incredible, and the customer service was the best I had ever received at any sporting event. My wife made a joke saying that she would've eaten food off of the floor because it was so clean, but it wasn't even really a joke. With Panasonic 4K televisions throughout the entire stadium and in every suite, there was no way you weren't going to be fully entertained. The next two times I went were in the upper level near center court. It was right after the All-Star break and really I was just curious to see how much tickets were. It was bad, like really bad. Tickets were starting at $6 YES I SAID $6 to watch professional basketball. The tickets were basically being given away, and the place still wasn't sold out, not even close honestly. Usually when you go to a sporting event, most people wear jerseys. This was not the case. I went with my mom and I literally said "I feel bad for Kings fans. They literally have no jersey they can buy. Mayyyybe De'Aaron Fox..? But even then, would you trust the franchise enough to keep him?" But back to the stadium. Man, it really makes up for the bad basketball. There are so many different food options, and as their website states, all the food that they serve comes from within a 60 mile radius of the stadium. Locally sourced food is the future, especially if you've been reading my #FOODFridays you'll understand. I didn't have one bad food item anytime I went, it was all fire. And the scoreboards and big screens? Let's just say it is very hard to keep your eyes on the court because of how crystal clear the picture is. It makes every seat in the house a good seat. After every basket, the announcer was engaged with the crowd and the game and the DJ played the slaps non-stop. Now even with all of this, the game itself is still the biggest attraction. And the Kings actually won the first two games I went to. The first one was early on in the season when they were still running their best lineups against a good Blazers team, and we got to see The Backpack Kid, like the real Backpack Kid do his flossin' dance on the court. The second win was against the Nets, so it was bad vs. bad which actually made for very interesting basketball, Fox hit a buzzer beater to send it to OT which was sick. But man that last time was a joke. They didn't play all of their players, they had no passion, the tank job was obviously on schedule with the Pelicans in town. I'm still very pissed that I went to three Kings games and I didn't even see Vince Carter touch the floor. Anyway, I highly recommend you guys to go to the stadium even if it is just for the food and the experience. you don't have to like basketball to have a good time. The fans that actually do show up are there to have a good time and enjoy some Kings basketball, even if it is terrible. If you guys do decide to go, hit me up! I'm not worried about spending $6 to watch some NBA. But hey, at least they once got Lil Jon to introduce the team... We have all faced a moment in our lives when we have felt like we're kind of just floating around in space, and we're not entirely sure if our future is extremely bright, or that some bad karma is headed our way. Some people are glass half-empty. They are pretty realistic with their potential and know what they are and don't really have the drive to make their future, but instead accept their future and succeed in their goals. Some people are glass half-full. They live in reality and somewhat of a fantasy and consistently believe that good things will happen, and usually reach for impossible goals and sometimes fail. Live how you want to live, brothers and sisters. Although, I will say I am inspired by one group of guys who are trying to reach some impossible goals. We have reached the point in the NBA season where teams are either tanking or going hard to make the playoffs. But there is one team that was looking like they were heading for tank season, but a mid-season push has helped them find a way into the playoff race. Well not entirely, the Lakers are 6.5 games back with 16 games to play. They will pretty much have to win out and will need some help from other teams. While it seems pretty impossible, with the way this team is playing right now, it is not improbable. When we think of things that are out of the realm of possibility, some that come to mind are time travel, mind reading, and winning the lottery without actually playing the lottery. But this is basketball, anything is possible. A trade deadline move for an all-star caliber point guard in Isaiah Thomas, has added depth and playoff experience. At times, it hasn't looked exactly pretty, but with a team that has 11 guys under the age of 25 you come to expect some sloppy basketball. Yet, age and lack of experience has not stopped these guys from putting themselves in a position to have a chance to make the playoffs. That's all we need in life, a chance. A chance to prove that we have what it takes to just be mentioned. Since Lonzo Ball has returned from injury, the Lakers have gone 8-2 with 4 of those wins coming against teams currently in the playoff picture. His ability to distribute the ball to his playmakers and shooters has eased the load for the rest of the squad. Isaiah Thomas is currently in a position where he can come off the bench and simply be a scorer and clutch free throw shooter, something the Lakers were desperately needing. Kyle Kuzma has cooled off since his hot start to the season, but he continues to make plays when needed and is always trying to set the example. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has shot the ball much better as of late, and has even found himself as the leading scorer during this stretch. But one guy who has led the team with his play and his heart is Julius Randle. At 6'9" many around the basketball world would say he is undersized for the center position, but this has not stopped him from donating the boards and occasionally playing some bully ball. In their primetime matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was no answer for Randle. In 38 minutes he scored 36 points on 14-18 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Randle has consistently heard from the media and doubters that he will be the odd man out this offseason. If this is to be true, the Lakers are going to have a big void to fill. Now for them to make the playoffs, it is going to take some tough wins against the NBA's best teams. The Nuggets, Clippers, and Jazz or Spurs are going to have to fall off for the rest of the way. But in the NFL, we saw the Buffalo Bills make the playoffs in the last minute of the season in another team's game, so why not? The Lakers have shown drastic improvements over the second half of the season in comparison to the first. If they continue to improve with the time they have left, they may just find themselves with a chance to get into the playoffs on the last game of the season in front of their fans at the Staples Center. I see the glass as half-full for these guys, and it's still filling up. In case you guys didn't know before, I'm a believer in the BBB business structure. Sorry. |
Anthony VallesterosJust a man trying to make the most of his time on this planet. Categories
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